“Earth is so thick with divine possibilities that it is a wonder we can walk anywhere without cracking our shins on altars”. (Barbara Brown Taylor)
The American southwest is such an amazing place. Every manmade wonder in the world seems to be duplicated here through the handiwork of wind and water. We hiked at Natural Bridges National Monument last Sunday and marveled at the delicate arches and souring spans. Then we spent two days exploring Capitol Reef National Park where there is everything: domes, cathedrals, caves, temples, reefs, hanging gardens, natural reservoirs, and it is all available if you are willing to walk a little way. It is one of the most visitor-friendly NP’s we have ever seen. Far superior to Zion or Grand Canyon. We will return!
The trip to Delta UT was beautiful and we found a great campground. We made an early start on Wednesday out to the desert to dig fossils. What an adventure! We found lots of trilobites, brachiopods, and worm tracks. We filled up a five gallon bucket before noon, and then had to make hard decisions about what to keep. After lunch we did some serious shale splitting, only keeping the best specimen.
Leaving Delta, we crossed the Great Basin desert on Highway 50, called the “Loneliest Road in the US”. We stopped briefly at Great Basin National Park. I think that it is a place of subtle beauty that would take a while to appreciate. We arrived in Sparks NV late Thursday
afternoon, completing our longest day on the road yet. The desert was lovely. We often saw miles of rolling dunes covered with yellow flowers with snow-capped mountains in the background. US 50 is a good road with wide shoulders and only a few steep grades. No problem!We are visiting with family in Sparks/Reno and waiting for some mail to arrive. Had laundry done today and will buy tires tomorrow. The collapse of the Mt. Vernon bridge on I-5 in Washington has changed our route to the Canadian border but we still hope to leave next Thursday.